Winches

Whether in cable crane or winch technology: We are proud of our know-how.

Winches are safe and reliable machines that facilitate the handling of material in difficult terrain. Especially, when it comes to the realisation of large projects, winches tackle the issues of transportation, securing and rescue. This effects the most diverse areas of the construction and mining industry as well as materials, machines and manpower. Accordingly, the means of transport and thus the winch must be reliable. The performance, precision and ultimately also the safety of the technologies used are among the factors that determine the success of a project. For this reason, the highest quality and safety standards are among the most important key factors in the development of our winches. Due to the diverse areas of application, we develop and manufacture a wide variety of winch types. In doing so, we also take the applicable standards into account. These include, for example, the European Machinery Directive and the Australian Standards.

“We develop and produce high-technology winches for a wide range of applications. Highest quality and a safe designs are part of our philosophy.”

Christoph Ludescher, Managing Director

Expertise from the design to the realisation of the project

As a specialist in the design and production of winches, we can revert to GANTNER’s many years of experience: The company developed and designed its first winches in 1948 and became part of LCS in 2017. Today, we are also specialised in custom-made products and small-scale production. In this context, our winches are used in a wide range of applications, from mining to vehicle construction to passenger transport and at test facilities. Especially, the operation of our winches for the transport of people emphasises the safety and reliability of our systems. The wide range of winches enables us to develop compact and intelligent construction solutions. Thereby, we can fulfil even highly specific customer requirements. Our clients receive all services from a single source, from the concept and design of the system to the realisation of the project. We see ourselves as a full-service provider, offering not only know-how for individual components but also a high level of expertise in the construction of whole systems. Our services do not stop with the finalisation of construction works: Our experienced technicians are still available for you after the project has been finished.

Possible features of our winches

Drive is either electro-hydraulic, diesel-hydraulic or electro-mechanical
Payloads range from 10 kN to 1,000 kN (1 – 100 to)
Large rope capacities up to 3,000 m – if necessary, even beyond
Use of ropes with data cables
Rope expulsion unit and rope retraction brake
Use of systems for optimised multilayer winding (winding device, Lebus groove)
Mooring function (“constant tension function”)
Remote maintenance and data logging
State-of-the-art control options, incl. visualisation as well as different operation modes
Radio remote control up to 1,500 m
Various safety functions, switch-off and measurement options
Additional safety devices for manpower transportation
Different redundant brake systems

Which winch do you need?

Each of our winches has individual features, which also makes them suitable for specific application areas.

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Winches for cable crane systems

For years, our winches and drives for cable crane systems have been used in a wide variety of industries and sectors. Depending on the respective project, they fulfil a specific purpose: Simple cable crane systems are operated, for example, for material transportation, while heavy-duty systems are used for the dam and bridge construction. Our portfolio of winches is correspondingly broad. We build winches in a wide variety of designs, from diesel engines or electro motors to mechanical or hydraulic drives.

Case study: Penstock Bjølvo

For the dismantling of a penstock in Ålvik (Norway) the winch GW270 with a power of 205 kW was operated.

More information on the project

Shaft winches

We build your shaft winches – whether you need them for an inclined or vertical shaft. Because: We are experts in powerful machines that are needed for the lifting and lowering of heavy loads in shafts. Thereby, we manufacture the equipment in accordance with the applicable standards and norms, such as those specified by the technical requirements for shaft and inclined conveyor systems (TAS) or the Australian Standards. Our shaft winches are used as platform winches, as shaft access winches for inclined and vertical shafts, and in the mining industry.

Case study: Hydro power plant Kaunertal

During the construction of the hydro power plant in the Austrian Alps, a shaft winch was used to lower large pipe sections with a diameter of approx. six metres into an inclined shaft.

More information on the project

Securing winches

Our specifically developed securing winches facilitate the performance of work with construction machinery and heavy equipment such as excavators, bulldozers or drilling machines in steep slopes. Even in inaccessible terrain, safety winches create a working environment that ensures safety for the machinist involved as well as for the entire construction site.

Rescue winches

We have been producing winches for rescue and evacuation purposes for years. It is self-explanatory that these winches must meet the highest safety requirements – regardless of the area and location of use. At the same time, they must be easy to operate and extremely reliable. The field of application for rescue winches is quite diverse. However, they are mainly found at passenger ropeways or in mines. Here, they enable construction workers and miners to be rescued from the shaft in case of an incident.

Case study: Sea to Sky Gondola

For the cable car „Sea to Sky Gondola” in Squamish, Canada, the rescue winch BGW1500 was installed to evacuate persons from the individual cabins in case of an emergency.

More information on the project

Rescue winches for shafts

Rescue winches are also necessary in pits and mines. Here, winches help to evacuate construction workers and miners from shafts, if required. For our winches we use various standard modules. We adapt them individually for our customers, depending on the planned area of application and performance requirements. Our professional service team will also support you after the realisation of the project – whenever necessary.

Case study: Mining shaft Tasmania

For an underground mine in Tasmania (Australia) we designed, developed and manufactured a special rescue winch, which was suitable for a 500 m deep vertical shaft.

More information on the project

Winches for vehicles

Our extensive know-how in the field of winches and control technology also inures to the benefit of other special winches: Special winches are used, for example, as custom-made products on vehicles. On the other hand, we install standard winches on construction machines to make them fit for work in steep slopes and difficult terrain. These so-called “mounted winches” can also be used for ground traction work. Furthermore, we design a wide variety of winches for most diverse of testing facilities. They are used for the testing of equipment or vehicles.

Case study: Mounted winch for spider excavator

By order of and in cooperation with the spider excavator manufacturer Menzi Muck, we have developed a special mounted winch that can be operated as an auxiliary winch in steep terrain.

More information on the project

Projects

LCS in action

Construction site in the middle of the city Zürich

Emergency winches for a shaft

Construction site in the middle of the city of Paris

All projects